Ankle and hindfoot fusion surgery is a standard orthopedic operation for relieving pain associated with joint degeneration due to such disorders as osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, deformity, neuroarthropathy, infection, or rheumatoid arthritis. The procedure typically involves removal of the worn out portion of the joint, followed by the immobilization of bones using an external fixator or an intramedullary device (see generally US 20070123857, published May 31, 2007 and US 20040039394, published Feb. 26, 2004).
Wright Medical began marketing a device in 2010 that uses an elongated metal shaft (a “nail”) inserted longitudinally into the tibia of a patient (see Wright Medical publication FA309-509, Wright Medical Technology Inc., Arlington, Tenn.). Screws are positioned using a targeting guide that attaches to the end of the nail and rotates externally around the ankle of a patient. The screws are then inserted to connect and compress bones.
Another device has been described by Schon, et al., which also uses an intramedullary nail inserted into the tibia of patients (U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,620). Stabilizing screws are aligned with holes in the nail through the use of a tower section that extends externally from the base of the nail upward. Screws for joining bones together are positioned using an elongated blade that is driven through the calcaneus bone and intersects the intramedullary nail at a chosen angle.
Although the methods presently used for ankle and hindfoot fusion are effective, a need remains for new devices that can be conveniently used for promoting bone fusion with anatomic rigid plate fixation and the least trauma possible.